Eternal Night
by Blue Lone Wolf 2574
Summary: Of all the Sumimura heirs, Yoshimori is by far the most unusual. But does that define him as unique? With Gen and Tokine at his side to take on the challenges of Kokoburo, can he and his friends survive...or only live to see it all torn apart. Hey, no one said being the only blind kekkaishi was going to be easy. Rated T to be safe of future contents. Future YoshixGen


Hello everyone! Blue here for some Fanfiction fun! Hope you're ready! And I'm not even going to bother with my little rant for once except to say I've made everyone a little older to go with my usual style so don't be surprised when I go a little rogue. Also they might be a little OOC so if anyone's bothered by that, I apologize in advance. Now that I've cleared that up: I don't own '_Kekkaishi_' in any shape or form but damn them for killing Gen off! You bastards! Enjoy!

"Iii" = speech

_Iii_ = thought

Chapter 1: In the Woods

Gen Shishio moved through the trees, his purple outfit helping him blend in with the foliage as he went. As per his orders from Masamori Sumimura, he was to see the man's family and their fellow kekkaishi family, the Yukimuras, at the famous Karasumori site. There he would be dealing with the two heirs of the families, Tokine of the Yukimuras and Yoshimori of the Sumimuras. With this information in mind, Gen moved at a fairly even pace, certain that the heat of the day would make any who saw him wonder if their eyes were tricking them. Despite the times, Gen never was one to take public transportation. Anyone like him would likely just stare or ignore him, people would give him odd looks and ayakashi… well those things tended to avoid him entirely. As far as he knew, he was more comfortable traveling alone as it was. Jumping easily from tree to tree, the half-ayakashi teen felt truly at ease with the peaceful quiet that surrounded him. Or at least he would have if not for the sudden appearance of a transparent blue wall that sent a jolt of shock through him. Reacting on instinct alone, Gen let his hand turn into claws in time to slice through the barrier before it could do much else.

As he landed on a branch some distance away, his sharp eyes not missing the blue wall of energy vanishing like it was made of some kind of web or something. The teen could only stare at where it'd been curiously, wondering what he'd just encountered. From what he could remember, his boss Masamori could make the same blue barrier. But Gen was sure that his superior could make boxes, not walls. _Could it be someone tried to cast a kekkai… and I disrupted the process?_ He wondered as he stood up, sharp eyes looking all around for the signs of another person.

Seeing and sensing nothing, Gen was about to jump away when another barrier appeared, quickly becoming a large blue box to accommodate for his size. Again Gen reacted by instinct and training, his claw of a hand sweeping forth to tear the confining walls apart. Or at least it would've if his attack didn't simply bounce off uselessly. Astonished and unprepared, Gen nearly hit the wall now behind him as he stared at his new confines. Sharp eyes looked all around for flaws, weaknesses, anything to help him get out but found none. Whoever the caster was, they were talented if they could create such a barrier mere seconds after the first was destroyed so easily. It was so similar to his boss's technique, Gen couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu at it all. The boss was back at headquarters with the rest of their group, not following him around causing mischief. He thought about trying to break the kekkai again, but thought against it, calmly looking around for any sign of the caster. Whoever it was either believed him to be a threat of some kind. Or had snagged him by accident. Either way, the itching urge to destroy the box and move on was tempting. But Gen wasn't about to leave without answers. So he waited in-between the shade and the afternoon sun, wondering just who or what had managed to capture him so easily.

Down on the forest floor, his abnormally sharp gaze caught sight of a figure, hidden by shadow and shade. Because the sun was in his eyes, he couldn't see the person clearly, but it was obvious from the way they were positioned that they were looking back up at him. Since the wind wasn't blowing in his favor, Gen couldn't get their scent very clearly but it was there. An oddly sweet scent that perforated its way up to him, almost like the smell of sugar. As if the person was usually in the kitchen or something. Finally after nearly two minutes, Gen felt his impatience start to get the better of him, both hands changing to their clawed forms. In one move he swiped at the edge of the box, quickly jumping off the bottom before it vanished completely so he could get to a branch some distance away. The caster either saw or sensed its destruction, Gen wasn't sure which since their scent seemed to vanish. Looking down he saw the figure wasn't there anymore, or any other place he looked. Suspicious, Gen thought about chasing the person down and get answers. Mulling this over in his head, and looking at the sun's position, the half-demon teen decided against it. He was running low on time and he needed to reach town before nightfall.

Giving his immediate surroundings one last look-over, Gen proceeded toward town, and his new apartment. He still had a few things to do before going to see the two families meant to guard the mysterious piece of land. Looking for some random person in the middle of the woods wasn't a good way to spend what precious time he had.

Yoshimori Sumimura felt rather than saw the odd feeling energy leave the forest where he practiced by himself. Behind the old temple and with only crafty crows as company, the family heir silently wondered who that odd energy source had been. Whoever they were, they were strong and fast enough to break his kekkai like it was nothing but tissue paper. Dressed in his practice hakama and top, Yoshimori was sure anyone who came around would likely think he was just with the temple. Yellow sneakers scuffing against the dirt, the raven-haired boy made his way towards said temple, knowing that it was likely late in the day. Giving a farewell to the old priest sweeping the stone path, Yoshimori paused at the steps. Black eyes staring forward at nothing as he pulled out his collapsible cane…and began his descent.

Moving in was easy since Gen only had about a box or two of clothes or items, the teen having already spent a good majority of his night and early morning getting things organized for his visit to the two families. As expected, he got his school uniform in the mail, making sure it was clean and without flaw before putting it on. Knowing that his neighbors were possibly the nosy types, the brunette didn't bother talking to them. As much as he wanted to go see the two kekkaishi families, he decided to attend his first day of school instead. Upon arriving, he went straight to the front office to make sure his paperwork was in order before heading to class with his new schedule in his bag. Like he hoped they wouldn't, damn near every girl was looking at him like he was the most interesting thing they'd ever seen. Worse, the boys just stared curiously but didn't do much else. Quite a few even tried to talk to him but he blew them off by turning away and walking off whether they were done talking or not. Though he didn't just spend his day in everyday monotony, he discreetly wandered the grounds and the buildings within, getting to know the place and his new environment. The upper classmen may've had their own floor but that didn't mean they weren't all that hard to find. Finding Tokine Yukimura proved a little difficult but eventually he spotted her, walking with a friend. Her friend, a rather talkative young woman with dark brown hair in a rather oddly fluffy style walked next to her likely from where they'd decided to have lunch for the day. Tokine herself was tall, possibly an inch or so taller than her friend, with long dark brown hair put up in a tail and soft brown eyes. She looked like a gentle person but even Gen could tell the girl was tough. She had to be to be a kekkaishi of the Karasumori site. What kind of monsters she faced on a nightly basis he could only guess, but for however long Masamori commanded it, he'd have plenty of time to find out. Searching his own floor for Yoshimori turned out to not only be a challenge, but impossible. There was no way of asking where the boy was when he was still the new kid, even if he did know what the other boy looked like. Watching the two older girls walk around a corner of the building, Gen knew he needed to have a talk with the female kekkaishi.

Tokine, heiress to the Yukimura family and guardian of the Karasumori site, knew when she was being watched. Being one of the most popular girls in her class, though not by choice, the brunette knew enough to know the difference before ogling and downright watching. If she was being ogled at, it was by a boy who wanted to ask her out. But right now, the feel of such eyes on her now as she walked back to class with her best friend Kirara Kawamaki. As usual the other girl was as vibrant and talkative, Tokine doing her best with an occasional answer. But for the most part she was really starting to wonder why she felt like she was being hunted by an unseen enemy. Her senses told her the only things on campus were humans, no ayakashi of any kind, even if it was daytime. Daytime was bad for ayakashi, making them weak or even sick enough to die from exposure. Other than that, Tokine knew there was no other reason for an ayakashi to be at the school aside from absorbing the mysterious energy hidden within the earth below. There was only one real way to find out.

Claiming to need to use the restroom, Tokine left her friend with a smile and a promise to meet her back in class. Walking in the opposite direction she looked over her shoulder to be sure the other girl vanished before putting on a grim expression. Looking around at her surroundings, assured she was alone, she spoke up. "You can come out now."

A boy, maybe 17 and obviously from her friend Yoshimori's grade, stepped out from behind a tree near the path. Dressed in the school uniform, the teen had his hands in his pockets as he let her examine him completely. Short spiky brown hair covered his head, shorter than Yoshi's, skin tanned like he was from a much sunnier part of the country as sharp eyes of black slits watched her intently. Even she could tell he was likely much stronger than he looked, clothes likely hiding muscle from prying eyes. Finally looking him in the eye, black meeting green, Tokine spoke again.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" she demanded, hand raised to cast a kekkai if the teen proved dangerous.

The bestial looking boy didn't even flinch, his black almost catlike eyes watching her with a cold stare that spoke of well-controlled emotions. For a kid his age, his voice was a little deep. "You're Tokine Yukimura of the Yukimura clan, fellow heirs to the Karasumori site with the Sumimuras. And from what I'm told, a strong kekkaishi."

Keeping her cool, Tokine didn't let her face betray her shock. How could a stranger know so much? Still, she kept a straight face as she spoke again, voice still serious. "Sounds like someone has a good source of information, even for a kid like you. But that still doesn't explain why you're here, or why you're dressed like a student."

"I just got here so it's my first day." The boy said calmly, also keeping his demeanor steady as they stared each other down. "But I'm not here for an education. Where is Yoshimori Sumimura?"

This did make Tokine hesitate, trying not to flinch as she narrowed her eyes. Whoever this kid was, she had to be ready to fight. "What do you want with him?"

"Simply to meet him. That's all. Just as I've come to meet you. Also," Tokine felt a chill go through her body as the boy's gaze took on a new chill. "To test your skills as a kekkaishi."

Again she hesitated but only for a moment, her mind working on something, anything to keep them from conflict. After a few seconds, she had it. "Are you sure that's wise? You're in a public place, even if we're alone, these windows are still open for anyone to spot us fighting. Is that what you want?"

For once, the boy blinked, as if he hadn't thought of this. The epiphany, if brief, vanished as he watched the older girl with a lack of interest. "No… no it's not. That doesn't really matter. I plan on meeting the heads of your families anyway. You could say I wanted to test your strength first."

"So someone sent you here? Who was it? And why?" Tokine asked, keeping her voice steady to avoid sounding forceful. He seemed compliant, but she didn't know for how long.

The teen boy looked her right in the eye. "I trust you know about the Shadow Organization?"

Blinking at this information, Tokine finally relaxed. "You're with them?" when the boy nodded, the girl actually smiled a little. "So, Masamori sent you. That's definitely like him."

Surprised, the boy gave her a curious look. "You know him?"

"I grew up with him, he's like a big brother to me." Tokine said with a laugh, seeming to catch the boy off guard. "Don't bother going, not by yourself anyway. Meet me near the gate after school, and we'll go together."

The teen's face finally wrinkled a bit from confusion. "Why? My affairs are with the heads of the families, not the heirs."

Smiling knowingly, Tokine gave him a questioning stare. "You still have to get there. Do you even know where we live?"

Again the boy hesitated, shifting his shoulders as if embarrassed. "Boss Masamori gave me the addresses… but I'm still new here."

"I see. Either way it's a sure way to make sure you don't get lost." Tokine stated, smiling at him in a kind fashion that made him uncomfortable. "Just meet me there and we'll see how things go from there. There's no point in treating a guest poorly if they're meant to be an ally."

"I…appreciate that. I'll see you after school then." The boy responded politely, though his expression gave away his mild confusion at their encounter.

"By the way, what's your name?" she asked, the question suddenly coming to mind just as the boy looked ready to turn away.

The tan-skinned teenager blinked, as if he too recalled he'd yet to introduce himself. He gave her a rather stiff bow, clearly out of respect for her status as a kekkaishi and potential ally for the coming future. "I'm Gen Shishio of the Night Troop for the Shadow Organization." The teen stated coolly, just prior to calmly turning to walk away. "I shall see you at the appointed time and place." Before she could say anything else, he was down the path, around the corner and gone.

_What a weird kid…but then I guess he can't help it if he works for Masamori._ Tokine thought as she turned to walk down the path to follow her classmate and friend to their classroom for the rest of their afternoon lessons. Though she was curious about the younger teen and his sudden appearance at the school, even as a student, Tokine didn't let it distract her from her work if she wanted to get through the exams at the end of the year. Especially if she wanted to get it done in time for entry exams into potential colleges and universities that might accept her. _And that means I have to leave Yoshimori behind with his grandfather and my grandmother until I come back. _She thought when the bell rang and everyone scrambled to collect their things, her friend Kirara already at her desk in her usual bubbly one-sided chattering. Something she easily silenced when she finally got the other teenage girl to be quiet and allow Tokine inform her she had things to do that didn't involve the other girl. Kirara then went on saying how she should lay off all the school work and live a little but thankfully accepted Tokine's excuse not to walk home with her. This came as a great relief to Tokine, who knew it would be difficult to explain to anyone at school why she would be walking home with a boy two years younger than her. in the end she didn't have to worry since most of the student body, with whom she was at least familiar with, had all vanished leaving her with the varying stragglers taking their sweet ol' time leaving the school grounds. If anyone were to look her way, it would be a passing glance and without any second thoughts to whom she was and who she was with.

As promised, the grim looking teen was by the gate, watching and waiting patiently for her to appear. When she did come into view, the boy's black eyes locked onto her but with more discretion since there were still people about. As they got within proximity of each other, Tokine spoke first. "We'll be going up the street to the right for a few blocks. If anyone asks, I'm tutoring you on lessons you've missed between switching schools and need help catching up."

"Will that not seem odd since we're in different grades?" Gen queried, finding this story, if a lie, to be a bit hard to believe.

Next to him, the older girl shook her head as she took the coming hill with ease, her long legs taking almost unbelievable strides. "Not really. We do have a tutoring program that gets older and younger students together so our being together fits into that. I'm on a list of extra tutors for when others of my grade are sick or busy and need me to fill in so that helps. What has Masamori told you?"

Gen nodded slowly as he took in this information, deciding to answer in kind, his gruff voice filling the calm around them. "Only to come here and speak with the heads of your clans so to properly coordinate with you against a potential threat against the site. I'm only a soldier of sorts and I wasn't given all the details, at least not yet. Boss Masamori has yet to find anything but he's told me he'll call if he finds anything."

To his confusion, the older teenager sighed as if exasperated with the answer but by no means annoyed with it. "I see. Cryptic as always. Either way that is a good plan. Though I've no idea what your skills are or what your power level is, having your around could be good in dealing with the really tough ones that show up now and again."

"I look forward to the challenge." Gen stated, honestly hoping he could test himself against one of the kekkaishi or see them in action. Either way, he hoped to gauge how to properly work with them if he was going to follow his superior's orders to the letter. "Which brings me to my next question: why could I not find Yoshimori Sumimura at the school like I did you?"

Something about her demeanor shifted, making the boy watch her curiously. He could tell she wasn't as relaxed anymore, her voice a shade softer when she finally responded. "You'll find out when we get there."

Gen blinked at the odd response but didn't question it. Whatever the reason was, it had to be a good one if the girl he was now going to be fighting beside wasn't giving him anything right off the bat. The trek to the houses, which he found were ironically side by side separated only by a traditional Japanese stone wall with stucco tiles on top, its outer border stretching nearly the entire block from end to end. This didn't surprise Gen since he was accustomed to seeing much older buildings and estates throughout the country with similar walls acting as physical borders between the old and the new. Even more to his lacking surprise, the doors leading to the two properties were on the same street if some feet from one another. Still leading the way, Tokine stopped at the door labeled 'Sumimura'. As the question why they were going there first popped into his head, the brunette turned to say. "I usually stop here first anyway but I don't think they'll mind if I introduce you before I take you next door. Though I should warn you, they can be a little…intense. Just keep your cool and you should be fine."

"I'll take your word for it." he responded calmly, inwardly nervous on what his superior's family might be like. He was curious and Masamori had never really gone into details. On top of that, Tokine had yet to lie to him so he had to assume she was speaking the truth about it.

There was no turning back when the older girl pulled the wooden door open, the heavy construct sliding out of the way easily as she called 'excuse me!' into the depths of the property before stepping inside. Knowing it was too late to pull out, Gen stepped in after her, shutting the gate once they were both clear. In a few strides, Tokine was at the door, once again calling into the house as Gen followed. No matter what, he was determined to face whatever surprises his master's family had to throw at him.

Deep inside the house, near the back of the property, Yoshimori Sumimura had sensed his friend, neighbor and fellow kekkaishi coming down the road from the school like she did just about every day. Only this time, she had another person with her that wasn't some friend or a random student. _It's that presence from yesterday. What's he doing with her?_ He wondered as he frowned at no one. Turning around in his desk's office chair, the raven-haired boy moved to stand up, the seventeen year old making sure his walking stick was in hand when he did. Even in the confines of his home, the blind kekkaishi had a habit of bumping into things when he wasn't paying attention. He was surprised he didn't break his nose half the time, given the kinds of things he was prone to colliding with but always walked off. His heightened senses always made sure he could perform his duties in protecting the Karasumori site every night, making up for the fact that his eyes were useless. His parents and older brother had been astonished to learn that he was born blind and was also the heir to their clan which made his place in the family and their time-honored tradition quite awkward. But they didn't by any means reject him, instead doing what they could to fit him into their lives, even after the youngest of the brothers Toshimori was born. If anything, the little boy was a great help when Yoshimori was put in charge when their father and grandfather were away. To his relief, the youngest sibling never took advantage of him and was calm and practical in all the right ways to deal with their grandfather's jumpstart antics, their father's almost girly behavior and Masamori's absence. His condition made their grandfather all the more irritable when it was time for Yoshimori to begin reading the family scrolls in order to advance his training as a kekkaishi. Thankfully Masamori assisted in translating the ancient texts into Braille for his younger brother though Yoshimori suspected he did this just so he could read them himself though he wasn't the heir when the Houin didn't appear on his hand as everyone believed.

In the end, this proved to be helpful in not only scribing the texts onto modern paper but into Braille for Yoshimori. When all was said and done, Yoshimori argued that they should hold onto the newly scribed pages should the originals end up becoming lost, damaged or destroyed for whatever reason. The two men had found this insight surprising and as usual it took some convincing but the grandfather Shigemori finally agreed to keeping the new copies of their family scrolls should anything happen, as well as letting Yoshimori hold onto his special copies for later study at his discretion. Yoshimori went on to thank his older brother, smiling at the older man happily though he had a vague idea what his brother's expression was. Masamori had responded that he'd done it for him and no other reason, making Yoshimori's smile to take on a sly edge which undoubtedly surprised his older sibling. "I know you've always wanted to be the heir, even if tradition says you can't. If I could, I'd give it to you if it meant you'd be happy with your standing which really shouldn't matter that much." Knowing he was leaving his brother in a state of awe, Yoshimori had moved to stand and leave the room, pausing at the door merely to state. "Should anything happen to me, I know you'll do all you can to keep our family going. Why else would I suggest that the scrolls be inscribed to modern paper?"

He'd left as nonchalantly as he could after that, making the boy wonder more than once what his brother's face looked like and how shock made it contort. That had been nearly five years ago, before Masamori left for his own reasons. Now, Yoshimori maneuvered to the door to his bedroom, cane in hand though he knew his house inside and out. It never hurt to be cautious in case someone or something unexpectedly got in his way. With his heightened senses, that wasn't likely but being as prone to accidents as he was, he never really took any chances anymore. Thanks also to his enhanced senses, he could hear Tokine talking, her voice moving with her presence and that of his father Shuji likely heading to the den with the odd presence in tow. In truth, Yoshimori was headed to the kitchen for something to drink, his throat dry from spending over an hour in his room doing his school work. As he moved through the halls he could already hear his grandfather Shigemori speaking gruffly to Tokine and the stranger, the slide of a door telling him his father had likely departed to get them all tea. Sure enough, he met his father at the intersection leading to the kitchen, forcing the bespectacled man to stop short in surprise.

"Yoshimori, what are you doing here?" Shuji asked, his father's kind voice like music compared to his grandfather's.

The teen didn't hesitate to respond, knowing the man before him was harmless. "I was coming to get something to drink when I sensed people. Who is Gramps with?"

"Tokine-chan and a new student. I think they're both waiting to see you. Why don't we make tea together?" Shuji said cheerily, apparently pleased with having new people in the house.

Bobbing his head, Yoshimori didn't hesitate to smile. "Sure, I don't mind."

If his father smiled back, he had no idea, only that the man moved ahead of him, likely to ensure nothing was out of place so his son could move freely. The process went by quickly enough with Yoshimori getting the mugs while his father got the tea bags and the water. After a few minutes, the mugs were on a tray and ready to serve. "All ready? Okay, let's go." Shuji stated, moving carefully so not to spill the steaming brew as his son followed. Both paused so Shuji could open the door, speaking in a cheerful tone to the room. "I found him in the hall. Are you ready for him?"

"Yes, let him in." he heard his grandfather say, the sound of the door opening fully soon following. Yoshimori didn't hesitate to follow him inside.

A little shorter than usual but I think that I've done enough. Since this is a project I started but then left alone years ago, it's only fair I take this one more slowly than the others in my arsenal. I also need to brush up on my '_Kekkaishi_' so that everything I do is accurate, at least plot wise. Until then, enjoy this little snippet:

Next chapter:

Chapter 2: First Night

And so our trio is united! Or are they? Like most new things, it's bound to have a rocky start…but will it be enough to bring them together or tear them apart? Will their future enemies stand a chance or get what they've come for? Find out when '_Eternal Night_' returns with:

_**Chapter 2: First Night!**_


End file.
